According to PC Data, "Home web surfers who download music with Napster software initially purchase music online at the same rate as non- Napster consumers. However, after they become adept at downloading music, they purchase much less music through online vendors than non-Napster users." PC Data says that it tracked "the purchasing behavior of 120,000 U.S. home Internet users."

From forum.napster.com, kLoWnGX's thoughts on the recent Napster-BMG agreement:

Napster is the biggest sellouts. Why do they get two bucks a song when it is a user-to-user transaction? We are [the ones] buying the albums, we are the ones uploading and spending 20-40 bucks on internet connection. If anything, Napster should pay us! We kept them alive! We are the ones who supported them from the being! When metallica and creed was sueing them, we were the ones who went and sent out letters to the record companies and went out the supported the unsigned artists and the loser bands that they wanted to buy the albums for. We are the ones who actullay made napster! We are napster! I hope the CEO would go suck his own d--- because I'm finding a new MP3 server that does not cost money to actually download songs from artists that are millionaries or proably even billionaries! 2 BUCKS A SONG?!? Well why don't I just buy the offical albums and say "OH WELL, F--- NAPSTER". Then if we all do this , then Napster will just be another crappy mp3 server like the rest of them.. Well I want to hope the CEO of napster goodluck with his crappy deal he made with that other crappy company, because soon we will not even know his name and he will go back to his loser house with his loser family... PEACE OUT WACKSTER!

Beastie Boys [ tickets ]' anthology will be available on as a 4-LP vinyl set on Nov. 21.

According to Elektra Records' newsletter, George W. Bush was using the Old '97's song "Timebomb" at his campaign stops. He has since stopped.

"Live X 6: Walk Unafraid," a compilation of live tracks from groups including R.E.M. and Foo Fighters, is available from Atlanta radio station 99X's website, RollingStone.com reported. The groups donated the tracks, and proceeds will go various charities chosen by R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe.

Renaissance man Steve Allen passed away on Monday (10/30), the Washington Post reported. He was 78. Best known as the host of the original "Tonight Show," Allen reportedly wrote more than 4,000 songs in his life. Assuming he started started writing songs when he was, say, 18, that averages out to more than a song a week for 60 years--which seems like the stuff of legend, but maybe not. Allen was in the jazz combo that backed Jack Kerouac on his coffeehouse-staple, spoken-word collection; maybe he got the songwriting credit on those.

More on boy bands' "street teams" from liveDaily's Backstreet Boys' Message Board:

Don't you find it funny that Jive worked so hard to promote No Strings Attached and it successfully broke BSB's record. Well here we are now. The tables are turned. Jive is heavily promoting Black & Blue so it can break NSync's record.

And:

why don't you [LiveDaily Briefly] delve into how record companies manipulate fans and pit them against one another to boost their revenue. oh wait. you can't do that because you, the media, are guilty of this very thing.

Skiffle music pioneer Lonnie Donegan became a Member of the Order of the British Empire on Friday (10/27), The Associated Press reported. Donegan was a major influence on such British musicians as John Lennon and Pete Townshend.

From staff reports, compiled by James Woster.